Rules and FAQ
(last updated 04/Feb/2024: Added icebreaker questions, updated Round 3 end date. Please confer most recent questions segment for participant questions.)
Pitching has ended! Claiming will happen:
Round 1: Feb 3rd, 11:59 UTC – Feb 4th, 11:59 UTC
Round 2: Feb 7th, 11:59 UTC – Feb 8th, 11:59 UTC
Round 3: Feb 10th, 11:59 UTC – Feb 11th, 11:59 UTC
Please read the following rules and FAQ completely and carefully if you plan to participate in this fest, and then, if you haven't already:
check out the How-to-Claim doc in which the link to the Claiming Form can be found - which will be open once the claming timeframe starts!
Come say hi on our discord server!
Eager to get to know your teammates? Here's a set of icebreaker questions!
Table of contents:
Most important Rules/Infos
Most recently asked questions
What is Severitus?
How does this Big Bang and Reverse Big Bang work in general?
How can I participate?
What types of works am I allowed to create?
I have no way to access to the pitching / claiming form in the given time frame, but I still want to pitch / claim! How do I do that?
Do I have to pitch to claim?
Can I create works based off of already existing fanworks?
When will this happen? Important Dates:
What happens if I can’t make a deadline/have to opt out?
How will the teams be formed?
I would like to be paired with [XYZ, a specific person]. How do I let you know?
I'm not quite comfortable working with others. Can I still participate?
What happens if I don’t get along with my team members?
Why are there mandatory check-ins?
What happens if I miss a mandatory check-in?
This is totally different from what I know from other Big Bangs. Why?
What is pinch-hitting?
How do I post my work?
I have never posted a work to AO3 - how do I do it?
I do not want to open an AO3 account / do not want the contents of this fest to be associated with my AO3 account. Is there still a way for me to participate?
Can I post my work to other sites besides AO3?
Can I add my work to other fests or collections?
I really want to participate, but I don't have any ideas currently! Is there a prompt list?
I have a question that is not on this list! How and where can I find you?
Most important Rules/Infos
This is a Severitus-centred fest. As such, we will only allow works that feature Severus Snape and Harry Potter in any platonic/non-romantic/non-sexual setting. No Snarry works will be allowed.
Most important dates:
Pitching starts: Jan 1st 2024
Pitching closes: Jan 28th
Claiming opens: Feb 3rd
Works due: May 17th
Posting begins: June 1st
If you can’t make the deadline, please reach out to the mods as early as possible so we can make arrangements and give you an extension.
Pitching and claiming will be hosted via google forms. The links to those will be posted accordingly. There will be mandatory check-ins once you have claimed. Please stay in contact with the mods (see FAQ).
Fics must NOT be Snarry.
Ages to participate: 13+, creation of works rated M or E: 18+
Minimum requirements for your works:
Fic: 2500 words
Poetry: 500 words OR 6 poems
Traditional or digital art: 600x600 px (scans in reasonable quality), and a basic description for accessibility
Spoken audio work: 15 minutes, and a written summary (transcript nice-to-have; podficcers may be allowed to pod an excerpt of their template if the final product is at least 15 minutes long)
Original music: 3 minutes, and a basic description (for instance lyrics, chords, sheet music) for accessibility
Song parody: 2 songs, (link to) reference work, and new lyrics
Playlist: 7 elements
Moodboard: 7 elements
Original dance: 3 minutes, and a basic description for accessibility
Fanbinding: one complete typeset: check out this post for details
Other forms: please contact the mod(s)
There are no maximums.
We do NOT accept AI generated content.
The works must be original to the fest and created by you. They can be part of an existing universe, but must be understandable as stand-alone.
Posting
Please post your works to the AO3 collection and add the mod account (Severitus_Big_Bang_Mods) as co-creator. We will not change your work in any form, we just want to make sure it is appropriately tagged and rated and we can change the publication-date according to the posting-schedule. After reveals, we will delete the mod account from your works.
We want this to be a respectful and safe space. So the following general (fandom) rules apply:
Be respectful, no bullying, no harassment, …
No character or ship shaming/bashing, SALS - ship and let ship
Works created in this event must NOT feature characters under 18 in sexually explicit scenarios
Like most other fandoms, Harry Potter as a canon/fanon/fandom grapples with various issues, including but not limited to transphobia/transmisia, racism and other forms of discrimination. When creating fanworks, it can be helpful to keep various resources in mind, as well as doing additional research. Writing with Color’s Stereotypes & Tropes Navigation is one way to begin examining racism in fanworks creation - please especially refer to the colour stereotype post in regards to the term "Black / Dark Magic" which is deeply rooted in racism. Magical Trans is a community for transgender individuals in the Harry Potter fandom. If you have resources you’ve found helpful and would like to share, please let us know. (We trust this caution isn’t necessary, but if you don’t agree with the linked resources, please do not contact them with negative comments.)
(Thank you to @bluedreaming for drawing our attention to this issue, and for allowing us to use their stipulations.)
Most Recent Questions:
Can I invite fellow creators? (Yes!)
Are side ships allowed? (Yes, all apart from Snarry are!)
Detail questions about pitching
You can find the answers HERE: https://severitus-big-bang.tumblr.com/post/738225193133244416/answering-some-more-questions-about-the
I have a question that is not on this list! How and where can I find you?
Discord: in the Severitus Big Bang Discord server or in the Big Bang channel of the Potions&Snitches Server
Tumblr @severitus-big-bang
AO3: Severitus Big Bang 2024 AO3 collection
Your Mods:
Serena: she/her, @serenaew (discord, tumblr, AO3)
Trueliarose: she/her, @trueliarose (discord, tumblr, AO3)
Eso; any/they/them; esotericsevitus (discord), @esotericsnape (tumblr), esoteric_creature (ao3)
Binte: she/her, @bintemuhammad (discord, tumblr, AO3)
You can find the rest of the FAQ under the cut.
What is Severitus?
For the sake of this fest, Severitus is every form of fanwork where Severus Snape and Harry Potter have a non-sexual / non-romanticrelationship.
Severus’ and Harry’s gender don’t have to be male. We welcome any female/non-binary/trans or other queer characters, and characters of any race, and of any other identity, in our works.
Please note that it is our foremost goal to create a chill fest and good experience for everybody participating. That means we need to create a safe space for Severitus shippers and as such, we cannot allow any works that even wander the line to being read as sexual or romantic in the sense of “Snarry”.
Severitus includes the following:
Snape as Harry’s father/father figure (biological, adopted, stepfather, uncle, godparent)
Snape being Harry’s mentor (Professor, Master in apprenticeship setting, friendly neighbour, you name it)
Severus and Harry being siblings
Severus and Harry being platonic friends
Reverse Severitus: Harry being Severus’ parent/uncle, mentor…
For more information you can also look through our prompt ideas which you can find on our tumblr.
How does this Big Bang and Reverse Big Bang work in general?
The Severitus Big Bang is a fanworks fest centred around Severitus and Reverse Severitus works.
Creators pitch their ideas of any form to other creators to work on them together and create two or more intertwined fanworks of different kinds/media.
The spirit of this fest is to connect creators and encourage each other's creativity to collaborate and celebrate Severitus together. If you don’t feel comfortable collaborating with others, it is technically possible to sign up as a “solo team” and create multiple projects for the same idea on your own; however we hope (and we give our best) to create a safe atmosphere without pressure or negativity for our teams to flourish.
Creators can sign up (pitch, claim, or both) to create works, which, ideally, should be ready by the submission date. (See: [What happens if I have to opt out]). After submission, we plan to reveal the works in a staggered reveal (ideally, we will get new Severitus content every day in June). All the works will be part of the Severitus Big Bang 2024 AO3 collection.
For more information please read the following FAQs.
How can I participate?
This bang is more formalised than just posting within the given time frame.
To participate, creators should sign up and can either pitch, claim, or both to create works.
You are allowed to pitch and/or claim as many works as you feel you can manage in the creation time span.
1. Pitching
Pitching means you offer up an idea of yours for other creators to claim later on so that you can create fanworks in collaboration. This is the perfect opportunity to get ideas/prompts that have been on your mind for a long time, but you didn’t have enough time or creativity to work on, out there so that others can share in your joy.
Please note that a pitch is more than just a one-line prompt; the requirements will be finalised and posted closer to Jan 1st.
If you ask yourself why all the effort: it is the mods' attempt to formalise the process of presenting your idea for collaborating with other creators so that you needn't know your collaborators' identities to have a high likelihood to create something you both / all like. The process consists of a Google Form.
All is explained in a great more detail here.
2. Claiming
Later on, creators can claim any of the given pitches that request collaborators.
There will be three rounds of claiming. To ensure that we have the best possible overlap with our creators' needs and wishes, we (the mod team) will work out the best fitting teams, and as many matches as possible, after each round of the claiming period. After matching, any open or partly-open pitches will be opened for claiming again. We hope that all pitches will be claimed after the third round; the unclaimed ones will be open for pinch hitting and will receive at least a little something from the mods.
For more details about Ho-To-Claim, please refer to this document.
You will then be notified about your claim and how to proceed.
You then have a period to create. Let your creativity strike, discuss your ideas and works with your co-creator(s) and simply do what you do best. Ideally you have your work ready by the submission date. (See: [Important Dates]) After submission, we plan to reveal the works in a staggered reveal (ideally we will get new Severitus content in June).
What types of works am I allowed to create?
You can create any type of fanwork associated with the pitch you claimed.
Here is a list of possible types of media:
Written works such as fanfiction, poetry
Traditional or digital art, crafts
Comics, manga
Spoken audio work such as podfic, podcast, audio play
Music (both original music and song parodies)
Fanvid
Playlist
Moodboard
Original dance
Fanbinding
Recipes
…
For further inspiration and clarification especially for the term "art" please refer to this extensive list: https://unconventionalfanworkex.dreamwidth.org/14316.html.
If you are unsure if the work you want to create will fit the parameters of this fest, please feel free to contact a mod; in these cases, we also advise you to check in with your fellow team member(s)
I have no way to access to the pitching / claiming form in the given time frame, but I still want to pitch / claim! How do I do that?
If you know you won’t be able to pitch / claim during the according period, please contact us and we will send you the pitching or claiming form in advance so you can participate.
For reasons of fairness, please let us know when you will need the form by so that we can pre-release the forms to all participants at the same time.
Pitching or claiming early will not influence your likelihood of being paired with your first choice(s).
Do I have to pitch to claim?
No. You can pitch and not claim or claim and not pitch or do both, it is up to you. However, we hope to receive a lot of pitches and claims to make this fest work, so it is super, duper awesome if you can do both.
Can I create works based off of already existing fanworks?
For your own pre-existing universes, yes, as long as the Big Bang work(s) are newly published and understandable as stand-alone! If at all possible, we would like to ask for your pitch to stay anonymous until claiming ends.
You can use an already existing fanwork as your pitch if you have permission to create secondary/derivative fanworks by the original author/creator. Please note that we (the mods) can not grant you this permission and can also not monitor if every pitch meets this stipulation.
If you as a creator want to give permission for others to use your works as such, maybe add a fanworks permission statement / transformative works policy to your profile. You can find a statement builder here or check the mods' profiles for inspiration.
When will this happen? Important Dates:
Pitching starts: Jan 1st 2024
Pitching closes: Jan 28th
Claiming opens: Feb 3rd (Round 1)
Claiming closes: Feb 17th (Round 3), or earlier if all pitches are claimed to the max
Icebreakers (Check-in 1): Feb 18th
Check-in 2: Mar 3rd
Check-in 3: Mar 31st
Check-in 4: April 28th
Works due: May 17th
Posting begins: June 1st
What happens if I can’t make a deadline/have to opt out?
Of course, we hope that every one of you will be able to make the submission date, but as we all know: Real life happens.
If you realise you won’t be able to make the deadline, please contact us early so we know and can plan accordingly. It is completely okay if you have to ask for an extension or drop your claim. We want this to be as accessible and chill as we can make it.
Just please inform us because we (the mods) have to plan the posting schedule.
How will the teams be formed?
You can either sign up as a pre-formed team with your fandom BFFs (with or without the option of pitching for more team members/claiming as team for a pitch), or the mods will assign you your team member(s) based on who responds to your pitch/which pitches you claim.
We encourage you to be open to other creators and share the spirit of this fest.
I would like to be paired with [XYZ, a specific person]. How do I let you know?
If you want to be paired with XYZ, the best way to make sure is to sign up (pitch or claim) as a preformed team with yourself and them.
If you pitch your work on your own, we cannot say in advance who you will be paired with until the claims come in at the beginning of February and we can not guarantee that we will assign XYZ as your (only) claimer, because we will have to take all the claims into account.
We will also not reveal the pitchers and claimers to each other until the teams have been decided, and will not reveal the final teams until publication of their works. (So only the teammates themselves know who works together with them until the reveals.)
I'm not quite comfortable working with others. Can I still participate?
If you don’t feel comfortable collaborating with others, it is technically possible to sign up as a “solo team” and create multiple projects for the same idea on your own; however we hope (and we give our best) to create a safe atmosphere without pressure or negativity for our teams to flourish.
What happens if I don’t get along with my team members?
In your claiming form we ask you to give us your Do Not Wants. We try to match the team members to the best of our ability, taking those Do Not Wants into account, and hope that you will get along fine.
If, despite all this, you notice that you can under no circumstances continue to work together with your teammate(s), please contact the mods. We do not want to force you to work together with someone you can absolutely not stand and we will then find a solution if this might happen.
However, we want to encourage you to be open-minded and give others the benefit of the doubt. We hope to create a fun experience for everybody.
Why are there mandatory check-ins?
We plan to do four mandatory check-ins with you (our participants) to ensure that everything is alright and you are still participating in this fest.
This has several reasons, foremost to make planning for us easier and to ensure that we can help out if that is needed.
Please note that we don’t want you to feel pressured or patronised. It is completely okay if you just answer “I’m still here.” and tick the box in the relevant google form for those mandatory check-ins. You don’t need to report your work progress to the mods; however, we do recommend using these dates to check in and report to your team (yes, we know, some of us are procrastinators).
We hope to simply offer guidance and act as a reminder, as life can get busy sometimes.
What happens if I miss a mandatory check-in?
You will have one week to respond to each mandatory check-in. If you missed it, the mod team will reach out to you. Just shoot us a quick response and you are fine.
If one more week passes without response, we will have to assume that you dropped out.
If you already know in advance that those just happen to be the two weeks where you are away without internet access, that's fine. Just let us and your collaborator(s) know in advance and we'll mark you as checked in.
This is totally different from what I know from other Big Bangs. Why?
Things evolve and for this, Serena wanted to make the concept of Big Bang more versatile and therefore adjusted it to what she (we!) thought would fit this fest best.
The goal was to allow as many different types of media as possible, as well as allow the claiming of as many different works/ideas as one wants. Therefore we allow any type or art, artists can claim artists and so on.
For this fest, the working together and connecting aspect is the focus (and we are of course rewarded with tons of wonderful works). We like to think that connection spikes creativity and helps us to create our own fandom safe space in which we can thrive.
We also want to make this as chill as possible to take away pressure - which is why we set the minimum word count for fics as low as 2,500 words.
What is pinch-hitting?
Pinch-hitters are people who volunteer to take on an extra pitch later on if somebody has to opt out and drop their claim.
Can I claim after the deadline if I finish with my first project earlier and want to take on a second pitch?
If there are projects looking for pinch-hitters, yes, absolutely. Please feel free to contact a mod if you finish early and want to take on a second pitch.
How do I post my work?
Please add your works to the Severitus Big Bang 2024 AO3 collection (spelled Severitus_Big_Bang_2024) and add the mod account (Severitus_Big_Bang_Mods) as co-creator.
We will approve your work for the collection and use the mod account to change the publication date accordingly to our posting schedule.
Please note that you have to actually post the work to the collection, keeping it as a draft does not suffice. It will not be visible to the general public until one of the mods reveals this work, so don’t fear to do something wrong, and don't hesitate to make changes even after posting to the collection.
I have never posted a work to AO3 - How do I do it?
AO3 has a tutorial on how to post a work, see below. If you have further questions or need further help feel free to contact the mod team.
https://archiveofourown.org/faq/tutorial-posting-a-work-on-ao3?language_id=en
https://archiveofourown.org/faq?language_id=en
Posting images:
AO3 does not host images, you can only embed them using a link. You have to host them on another site. Here's the how-to: https://archiveofourown.org/faq/posting-and-editing?language_id=en#embedimage
Posting audio:
AO3 does not host audio, but you can embed them in a stream or a download variant. For a list of audio hosting end embed options, check out GodOfLaundryBaskets' Breakdown of Podfic Hosting Options: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27240112
I do not want to open an AO3 account / do not want the contents of this fest to be associated with my AO3 account. Is there still a way for me to participate?
We want to give everybody a chance to participate, so please contact us if you won’t be able to post on AO3.
We can post your work from the official Mod Account and then link to the site you posted it to, as well as create an external bookmark for it.
Please note that even if we post it in your stead (posting it from the mod account) the work will be uploaded on AO3.
Can I post my work to other sites besides AO3?
Yes, you can (and are encouraged to) cross-post whatever you want to whichever site you like. We just ask you to wait with crossposting until after your reveals in the official Severitus Bang AO3 collection!
Can I add my work to other fests or collections?
Yes, you can. After reveals, you are free to do with your work as you please, for example add the works to any collection you like.
Additionally, while waiting for reveals, you are allowed to co-submit to fests and events that have no unrevealed period (e.g. @hp-flowers, free submissions phase of HP Poetry, @voiceteam, May ficlet challenge, many bingos, etc.). Please note that your work will not be accessible in those collections until after reveals.
I really want to participate, but I don't have any ideas currently! Is there a prompt list?
There is not the usual prompt list, but we have made this list of typical Severitus themes/prompts and starting points. We hope this helps to start off your creativity.
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